Opposite Sides
by ScarlettAvery
Summary: Waking up in a strange place in strange clothing and meeting a strange man that refuses to answer any questions. What an awful way to begin the day...


_**Disclaimer : All recognized characters and situations belong to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, etc. **_

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><p><em><strong>Opposite Sides<strong>_

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><p>It is dark when I open my eyes. At first, it is <em>only<em> dark. Then I can make out trees. I sit up. I am in a small clearing next to a dark stone path. I wonder where it leads. My eyes close as I battle my curiosity. It wins. I slowly get to my feet, being careful to prevent dizzines from blood rush. It wouldn't do to get dizzy and pass out in an unknown location.

I reach for my wand. Surprisingly, it's at my hip where it should be. I keep it aimed in front of me and my ears and eyes open for any movement or noise as I go. In time, I reach the tree line. I step through and blink quickly, using my hand to shield my eyes from the sun. It's so bloody bright!

Once I can see again without dots in my sight, my arms drop to my side in shock. The meadow is so beautiful! I slowly walk out into the grass. It's so green and tall. Not too tall of course, but tall enough to feel soft against my feet. I freeze. Wait a minute, something isn't right. My feet? My feet! That's it! I quickly look down and I stare at my feet in confusion. Where are my shoes? And my _clothes?_ How could I not realize that my shoes were missing?

Somehow, I ended up in a place that I have no clue where is, shoeless and in emerald green robes that I have never seen before. This puts me on alert for obvious reasons. I back up and stand against a tree and continue to take in my surroundings. Little white flowers sprinkle the soft green grass all around me. Daisies, I think. The grey stone path that I had followed through the forest continues on through the meadow only to stop just feet from a bridge.

The bridge itself is a piece of art. It's made of white marble, shiny and clean. The water runs ever so clear beneath it. As weird as it sounds, it is quite possibly the cleanest water I have ever seen. Seeing no-one around, I move towards the creek, curious about the depth. As I get closer, the air around the bridge begins to shimmer and before my very eyes, the scene changes. The tall green trees that surround the opposite side disappear and are replaced with tall, crispy, lengths of wood. I stop and go no further. Something about that side seems wrong. Foreboding.

The grass is brown, dead, and covered in ash. The soil beneath it must be just as dead. There is nothing green in sight. As I look around, I notice a man standing in the shadows. I stop moving and stay quiet, even though I know that he can and probably already has seen me clearly. I keep still, trying to judge if I am safe or not. He _is_ dangerous, I feel, but not to me. He's important too. I can tell.

"Where are we?" I call across to him. He doesn't answer, not even a flinch to show that he heard me. "Come closer. I want to see you." Again, he doesn't move or make a sound. Fine. If he won't come to me, I'll just have to go to him. "Who are you?" I ask, taking a step towards the bridge. No answer. I take another step. No reaction. I take one more, hoping for some sort of reaction. This time, he doesn't disappoint.

The mans hand rises, as if to say stop and for some reason, I do. continued silence. "Oh. I see," I mutter as I drop to the ground crossing my arms and tucking my feet under me. "Ignore me. How very mature of you."

It stays like that for a while since I refuse to waste more time on it. Instead, I begin to notice little things on our respective sides of the bridge. My side is sunny. The wind is blowing through the grass as the trees dance with it. The sky is blue and clear. Overall, it's purely beautiful. "It's like I've fallen into a fairytale," I say, louder than I meant to. The man snorts out a laugh and I whip around to face him with a smile on my lips. Finally a reaction.

The smiles fades as I realize just how _awful_ his side is. "Oh my.." I mutter and place a hand over my mouth in horror. Everything looks as if a fire has just recently raged through the area. The sky is black and dotted with dark grey clouds. As I said before, the grass is brown and dead. Nothing moves, as if the wind is afraid to cross into the dark area. In which case, I do not blame it.

I stand and walk forwards, unconsciously. I'm a step away from the bridge when he speaks. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," he says calmly. I pause mid-step. His voice is...beautiful. It's so strong. Low. Steel with a hint of satin. My foot lowers to the ground. Suddenly, I realize what happened and I tense with anger. I'll be damned if I let _him_ stop me. Five minutes ago he wouldn't even acknowledge me.

I swallow hard and move forward. When my foot makes contact with the bridge, it begins to burn slightly. Thinking it's just from walking barefoot for so long, I continue. As both my feet are on the bridge, I begin to wonder why he didn't want me to cross it. Nothing was happen...and then I feel it. Fire. Knives. Claws ripping their way up my spine. I scream out in agony and stumble back off the bridge.

I catch my breath and look up, glaring. "You could have warned me!" I shout venomously. He shrugs. _Shrugs. _"I did. However, you ignored it," he says with what sounds to me like a smirk.

I ignore him and back up a few more steps and drop to the ground in relief as the burning pain finally stops. "What's going on?" I find myself asking. "Why don't you come over here?" He steps out of the shadows. I gasp and shoot to my feet. He's so very handsome. He's tall. His skin is tan as if he spends most of his time outside. His aura is dark, as are his clothes. He's wearing a black leather jacket with a red piece of cloth tied around his arm, a rust colored shirt of some kind, a red scarf, plaid pants, and boots. His hair is brown with a red streak on the right side. It's long, wild, and looks like it has been some time since he last took a comb it. He has it pulled back. He looks to be in his thirties. Thirty-six I would guess. His nose is just a tiny bit crooked, but I think it adds to his appearance.

His hand twitches as I study him and a flash of silver catches my eye. Stag ring, Interesting. His most striking feature would be his eyes. I can't be sure what color they are exactly, but definitely grey or blue. It's as if they can see right through me. As if I'm not even standing there. My mind catches up with me and I ask the first question that I think of. "Why aren't _you_ burning?" I ask suspiciously.

A dark smile curls his lips. "You see, I've already burned." I scrunch my nose in confusion. "What do you mean? You don't look burned," I say as I sit down again. "Don't be so blind." He chuckles darkly. Our eyes meet for a moment. Grey to green. Shielded to unguarded and vulnerable.

My eyelids grow heavy and I lean to the side until I touch the ground, pillowing my head on my hands. The last thing I see being this strangers face staring back at me.


End file.
